Darrin Treloar and Jesse Headland are the 2011 FIM Track Racing Sidecar 1000cc World Champions after they held off the advances fellow Aussies of Glenn O’Brien and Aaron Maynard and Grant Bond and Simon Cox to claim the crown in front of a bumper crowd at Murray Bridge Speedway.
2011 FIM Track Racing Sidecar 1000cc World Championship podium, from left, runners-up Glenn O’Brien and Aaron Maynard, new World Champions Jesse Headland and Darrin Treloar, and third place finishers Grant Bond and Simon Cox. Credit: Chris Horne.
A five-time Australian Champion and 2008 World Champion Treloar added another significant piece of silverware to his bulging trophy cabinet, while Headland continued his amazing family tradition in the premier Speedway Sidecar event, winning back-to-back World titles as a passenger.
A delighted Treloar said winning a World title on Australian soil was the ultimate feeling.
“You can’t get any better than that – It feels unreal,” Treloar said.
“We’ve done it here in Australia in front of Jesse’s home town and although it isn’t my hometown I ride here every week and it feels like a hometown.”
An equally ecstatic Headland said it was a dream come true to win in Murray Bridge.
“You really can’t ask for anything more than that,” Headland said.
“It was a great night, with a top-class field and a great crowd.”
Headland was called upon by Treloar to serve as his passenger in the absence of regular partner Justin Plaisted, with the pair striking an immediate partnership.
“We didn’t have much time and we had to gel straight away,” Treloar said.
“Jesse’s never ridden for me so he had to leave how I ride and we only had one meeting prior to tonight to work it out.
“But we did what we had to do and it all came good.”
Taking the lead into the first turn of the final, Treloar and Headland never looked back as they held off the determined advances of Australian Champions O’Brien/Maynard, with veteran duo Bond/Cox rounding out the podium finishers and reserve pairing Byren and Deven Gates in fourth.
In a highly-entertaining night of racing Treloar/Headland set the early pace, winning their opening three heats as favourites Mick Headland and Paul Waters where made to earn their points.
O’Brien/Maynard and Chris Pascoe and Simon Cohrs began to assert their dominance in the later heats, with the Pascoe/Cohrs pairing winning four of five heats to top score with 14 points, one clear of O’Brien/Maynard.
A late blip could not stop Treloar/Hedland from reaching 12 points, along with Headland/Waters, with Grant Bond/Simon Cox, Matt Tyrrell/Craig Fordham and reserves Byren and Deven Gates also reaching the Semi Finals with 11 points.
The brothers were the fairy tale story of the event, reaching the final thanks to a second place behind Treloar/Headland in their Semi Final.
O’Brien/Maynard won their Semi Final ahead of Bond/Cox, who held off Headland/Waters to book their place in the final.
2011 FIM Track Racing Sidecar 1000cc World Championship Results
Heat and Finals Results:
Heat 1 1st: Tyrrell/Fordham, 2nd: Pascoe/Cohrs, 3rd: Buchanan/Burns, 4th: Wilson/Patterson.
Heat 2 1st: O'Brien/Maynard, 2nd: Mitchell/Golding, 3rd: Spreadbury/Little.
Heat 3 1st: Treloar/Headland, 2nd: Bond/Cox, 3rd: Cave/Headland, 4th: Gannon/George.
Heat 4 1st: Headland/Waters, 2nd: Miller/Miller, 3rd: Plummer/Bell, 4th Humphrey/Franklin.
Heat 5 1st: Mitchell/Golding, 2nd: Buchanan/Burns, 3rd Miller/Miller, 4th: Cave/Headland.
Heat 6 1st: Treloar/Headland, 2nd: Tyrrell/Fordham, 3rd: Humphrey/Franklin, 4th: Spredbury/Little.
Heat 7 1st: Pascoe/Cohrs, 2nd: Headland/Waters, 3rd: Parker/Schwarzer, DNF Gannon/George.
Heat 8 1st: O'Brien/Maynard, 2nd: Wilson/Patterson, 3rd: Bond/Cox, 4th: Plummer/Bell.
Heat 9 1st: Buchanan/Burns, 2nd: Gates/Gates, 3rd: Plummer/Bell, 4th: Spreadbury/Little.
Heat 10 1st: Bond/Cox, 2nd: Headland/Waters, 3rd: Mitchell/Golding, 4th: Tyrrell/Fordham.
Heat 11 1st: Pascoe/Cohrs, 2nd: O'Brien/Maynard, 3rd: Humphrey/Franklin, DNF: Cave/Headland
Heat 12 1st: Treloar/Headland, 2nd: Gates/Gates, 3rd: Miller/Miller, 4th: Parker/Schwarzer.
Heat 13 1st: Bond/Cox, 2nd: Buchanan/Burns, 3rd: Parker/Schwarzer, 4th: Humphrey/Franklin.
Heat 14 1st: Tyrrell/Fordham, 2nd: O'Brien/Maynard, 3rd: Gannon/George, 4th: Miller/Miller.
Heat 15 1st: Pascoe/Cohrs, 2nd: Treloar/Headland, 3rd: Plummer/Bell, 4th: Mitchell/Golding.
Heat 16 1st: Headland/Waters, 2nd: Gates/Gates, 3rd: Cave/Headland, 4th: Spreadbury/Little.
Heat 17 1st: O'Brien/Maynard, 2nd: Headland/Waters, 3rd: Treloar/Headland, 4th: Buchanan/Burns.
Heat 18 1st: Tyrrell/Fordham, 2nd: Gates/Gates, 3rd: Plummer/Bell, 4th: Cave/Headland.
Heat 19 1st: Pascoe/Cohrs, 2nd: Bond/Cox, 3rd: Miller/Miller, 4th: Spreadbury/Little.
Heat 20 1st: Gates/Gates, 2nd: Mitchell/Golding, 3rd: Gannon/George, DQ: Humphrey/Franklin.
Semi Final A 1st: Treloar/Headland, 2nd: Gates/Gates, 3rd: Pascoe/Cohrs, 4th: Tyrrell/Fordham.
Semi Final 1st: O'Brien/Maynard, 2nd: Bond/Cox, 3rd: Headland/Waters, 4th: Mitchell/Golding.
Final 1st: Treloar/Headland, 2nd: O'Brien/Maynard, 3rd: Bond/Cox, 4th: Gates/Gates.
Heat Scores:
Chris Pascoe & Simon Cohrs (Australia) 2,3,3,3,3 Total 14
Glenn O'Brien & Aaron Maynard (Australia) 3,3,2,2,3 Total: 13
Darrin Treloar & Jesse Headland (Australia) 3,3,3,2,1 Total: 12
Mick Headland & Paul Waters (Australia) 3,2,2,3,2 Total: 12
Matt Tyrrell & Craig Fordham (Great Britain/Australia) 3,2,0,3,3 Total: 11
Grant Bond & Glenn Cox (Australia) 2,1,3,3,2 Total: 11
Byren Gates & Deven Gates (Australia) 2,2,2,2,3: Total: 11
Mark Mitchell & Tom Golding (Australia) 2,3,1,0,2 Total: 8
Andrew Buchanan & Phillipa Burns (New Zealand) 1,2,3,2,0 Total: 8
Dean Miller & Robert Miller (New Zealand) 2,1,1,0,1 Total: 5
Les Plummer & Cameron Bell (New Zealand/Australia) 1,0,1,1,1 Total: 4
Rob Wilson & Rob Patterson (Great Britain/Australia) 0,2 Total 2
Mick Cave & Trent Headland (Great Britain/Australia) 1,0,DNF,1,0 Total: 2
David Gannon & Raymond George (New Zealand) 0,DNF,DNS,1,1 Total: 2
Paul Humphrey & Ben Franklin (New Zealand) 0,1,1,0,DQ Total: 2
Ronnie Parker & Nicholas Schwarzer (Australia) 1,0,1 Total: 2
Roy Spreadbury & Gareth Little (Great Britain) 1,0,0,0,0 Total: 1
Mark Plaisted & Jamie Banks (Australia) DNF Total: 0